Heartwarming / The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

Warning: Spoilers Off applies to Heartwarming pages.

Trails of Cold Steel

• In General:
  • Machias' Character Development in terms of his relationship with nobles. In the beginning of the game, he outright can't stand them, but as time goes on and he interacts more with Class VII, he realizes that not all nobles are as stuck-up as he believed them to be and he mellows out. By the time the school festival arrives, he has no qualms with teaching nobles how to play chess.
• Prologue:
  • Rean goes out of his way to save Alisa when they are falling in the trap door even if it results in a huge misunderstanding.
  • When Jusis goads Machias about being the son of the Imperial Governor, the player has the option of having Rean berate Jusis for indirectly insulting Machias' father. Jusis then admits that he was out of line before then deciding to take his leave.
• Chapter 1:
  • Alisa apologizing to Rean for her overreaction and recognizing that Rean was only trying to protect her and the Marshmallow Hell part was merely an accident.
  • Rean and Laura resolving their dispute rather quickly rather than having it drag out.
• Chapter 2:
  • Machias and Jusis willing to form a truce after listening to what Rean had to say. While it doesn't last very long, it was good to see they were at least trying.
  • When the dispute between Jusis and Machias was reaching their peak, Rean pushes them both out of the way when the monster they thought they killed was still alive and attempted to attack them both. Both of them show concern over Rean's injuries and take responsibility for it. Seeing Rean show concern for their safety triggers Character Development for both of them.
  • Jusis coming clean to Rean about his past and that he is an illegitimate son of the Duke.
  • Machias at the same chapter. After he overheard Rean and Jusis' conversation mostly about Jusis' distant relationship with his father due to having a commoner mother, he took initiative to talk to Jusis about trying to resonate their ARCUS, subtly hinting that he felt sorry. Jusis paid him back by attempting to rescue him after hearing Machias was arrested by sneaking out from his supposed house arrest.
  • After Machias is kidnapped, Jusis attempts to save Machias on his own, despite their previous issues, before running into Rean, Emma, and Fie who were attempting their own rescue mission. Jusis states that on principle, regardless of his issues with Machias, he couldn't condone his father's actions of having Machias imprisoned.
  • Jusis at the end of Chapter 2, finally calling Class VII his friends for the first time.
• Chapter 3:
  • The night talk in Nord where Alisa and Rean confiding to each other about their issues, showcasing just how the close the two have become ever since they patched things up with each other way back in Chapter 1.
• Chapter 4:
  • Fie and Laura overcoming their differences at Heimdallr.
  • An understated example is when Jusis meets Toval for the first time. Completely unprompted, he thanks the man for helping the team in their mission to rescue Machias at Bareahard.
• Chapter 6:
  • Alisa's bonding event during this chapter is simply her and Rean spending time with each other while playing a game of Lacrosse. Once again, this serves as a showcase of how close the two have become throughout the game as Rean himself notes much to Alisa's embarrassment regarding the matter. She later admits that she doesn't want their time together (As classmates according to her) to end anytime soon, wanting to keep moving forward together with Rean and their friends as much as she can. Rean agrees, and together with Alisa, believes that so long as they're all together they can overcome any challenge thrown their way.
  • Fie's bonding event has her handing out flowers she grew herself to some of the school faculty and Class VII. What makes this sweeter is that the particular flower she has symbolizes familial love. In other words, the former emotionless Child Soldier who was left all by herself after her mercenary group, the closest thing she had to a family, disbanded, is showing her love to the people whom she considers to be her new family. This includes Instructor Sara, who helped bring her in to Class VII, and Laura, whom Fie previously had a falling-out with.
    • The final shot of the event has her give her last flower to Rean, who proceeds to thank her. When the camera pans out, you can see the faintest hint of a Luminescent Blush on Fie's face.
  • At the end of their first Field Study day in Roer and Irina cancelling her dinner with Group A, Rean catches a glimpse of Alisa looking rather upset and heads off to go see what's wrong. After catching up with her, she confides to him about her thoughts regarding her mother, revealing that despite everything that's happened between them Alisa is more concerned about her mother letting life pass her by rather being truly angry with her. In light of this, Rean notes on how considerate Alisa can be towards others, even those who annoy her, and thanks her for it personally much to her embarrassment.
• Final Chapter:
  • The festival bonding events where Rean can choose to spend time with any one of his classmates, Towa, and Sara is bound to be this. After six chapters of the characters getting into one incident after another, it's quite nice to see them all be able to relax as much as they could during the festival together with their friends and family.
  • Pretty much any of the dance scenes towards the end of the first game.
    • Alisa's event has her and Rean confiding to each other about their thoughts regarding the future, being unsure of what paths their lives are going to take after their graduation. In a mirror of their bonding event in Chapter 6, Alisa has a slip of tongue regarding her and Rean being together and tries to wave it off. Unlike last time however, Rean decides otherwise as he takes Alisa's hand into his and says the following:
      Rean: Then let's stay together. We're still looking for our places in the world, but maybe their right next to each other.
      Alisa: (Smiling while blushing) ...I hope so.
    • Emma's event has her admitting to Rean that she feels guilty about keeping secrets from everyone despite everything they've all been through together as both classmates and friends. Thus, she feels like she doesn't belong in Class VII. Rean assures her otherwise that everyone cares about her regardless, and tells her that it's okay if she doesn't want to say everything right away. They'll be there to listen once she does, with Rean himself being willing to listen to her problems personally if they prove too much for her to handle.
• Even as heartbreaking as the ending can be, each of Rean's friends gives him some comforting words of courage to let him know they will be okay.

Trails of Cold Steel II

• As a general rule of thumb, anytime this music starts playing is usually followed by a heartwarming moment.
• Anytime Rean reunites with someone from Class VII. Rean is overjoyed and relieved to see him or her safe and sound and they reciprocate the mutual feelings. Hugs and hand-holdings are abound. Some specifics:
  • Machias: First, he's one of the first Class VII members Rean found so he instantly hugged the glasses lad warmly. Second, there's this parallel line which symbolize his character development throughout the first game.
  • Fie: She's so thrilled to see Rean she accidentally (or maybe not) mistimes a jump down from a cliff and winds up tackling him to the ground and their subsequent (and completely adorable) reunion speech takes place with her still straddling his chest. For a girl who started the series completely detached and uninterested in the rest of the class, this is a big change.
  • Alisa and Millium: Of all of Class VII's members, Alisa is the one who seems the most worried about Rean and she immediately runs over and hugs him during their reunion, all while apologizing profusely for everything the class put him through during the final battle of the previous game. Millium waits patiently until she's done, then leaps into Rean's arms for her own greeting.
  • Laura and Emma: Laura is so stunned at seeing Rean again that she wonders if she's dreaming before she suddenly wells up and starts crying tears of joy (yes, we're talking about THAT Laura - she's as surprised as anyone about her reaction). Emma, similarly, is overjoyed to the point of tears to see everyone again (Celine especially), but is almost immediately overcome with guilt for hiding the truth from Rean and Class VII. She suggests that she doesn't deserve to be part of the class anymore and offers to leave before Rean talks her out of it with an inspiring speech, resulting in another round of waterworks.
  • Jusis: When you first meet him he's clearly glad to see the rest of the class well, even though he tries to hide it. It seemed to take a turn in the other direction when he tries to avoid coming along with the rest because he feels responsible for his father sending the Jaegers to attack Ymir, resulting in Baron Schwarzer nearly dying and Elise and Princess Alfin being captured. Rean naturally disagrees and tells him to do what he wants rather then be shackled by his family. After a quick duel, Jusis comes around and comes along with them. Better yet: judging by his letter to his father, he was planning to come along with Class VII since the beginning. You could see how happy he was once he saw that everyone accepted him back, even after what his father did, and that he could go with them.
• After getting everyone in Class VII back together again, Rean can have a special scene in the hot springs with a member of his choice.
  • If you choose a member of Class VII, he or she will thank Rean for staying alive and coming to get them.
  • If you choose Toval, Claire, Sharon, or Sara, they will congratulate Rean for getting his class back together.
  • Regardless of the choice you make, it will end with the person reaffirming Rean that Class VII is what it is because he is at the center and that the bonds they forged during their time at the academy won't be broken so easily.
• Crow shows up after the battle against Scarlet in her Soldat and thanks Rean for saving her. This proves two things: 1) he will go out of his way to make sure his comrades are okay regardless of which side he's on, and 2) the leaders of the Imperial Liberation Front all thought highly of one another after years of plotting to get their revenge on the Chancellor.
  • In a somewhat darker heartwarming moment, Scarlet says that she would be perfectly fine with dying in an exploding Soldat if it could give her the chance to reunite with her comrades Gideon and Vulcan in hell. It just makes you wonder what things were like behind the scenes when the ILF was still alive and running.
• The character-specific bonding event in Class VII's dormitory is this no matter which person Rean has it with, but here are some special mentions:
  • Alisa's scene has her and Rean profess their love for each other before sharing a passionate kiss.
  • Laura's scene has her naming Rean as something just as precious to her as her swordsmanship and confesses that she is in love with him. Rean reciprocates the feelings and the two embrace, swearing to use their swords to protect their friends and their future.
  • Fie's scene has her state another reason why she wants to find her old comrades from Zephyr: she wants to show off to them the new family she has found in Class VII and how happy she is with them now.
  • Towa's scene has her reaffirm Rean that he is not alone and can rely on others to share his burden if he needs to. After Rean thanks Towa for all she's done for Class VII, Towa says that she's glad that she became the Student Council President before she hugs him and says some final words of encouragement.
• Continuing from the above, the special scenes with the character of your choice in the epilogue may veer towards Tear Jerker territory given that Class VII only has a short amount of time before they disband for good, but it sets up for some very heartwarming dialogue. Here are some examples:
  • Alisa:
  Rean: Even if we're apart, I'll always be thinking of you. Not a single day will pass where I won't be thinking about that sweet, hardworking girl I fell in love with.
  Alisa: Oh Rean... That's so sweet.
  (*offscreen kiss*)
  • Laura:
  Laura: I won't tell you not to overexert yourself, as I certainly can't promise that I won't. Still, I want you to always bear in mind that no matter what happens, no matter where I am... my heart is always with you. Please, never forget that.
  Rean: I wouldn't want it any other way.
  • Emma:
  Emma: The most important thing to me in the world is still you, Rean. And I want to uncover the truth of the Divine Knights for your sake just as much as for myself. After all, the legends surrounding them have been at the heart of so much of the trouble we've had to endure. That's why I'll get to the bottom of this and come back with the answers you deserve. Until then, stay safe, and be well.
  Rean: Thanks. I will. And the same goes for you. I'll be looking forward to the next time I see your smile.
  Emma: Likewise!
  • Fie:
  Rean: I don't want you to put yourself in any more danger than you have to... but I know how much your family means to you. So, more than anything else, I want you to do what you feel you need to. Don't worry about me. I'll be right here waiting for you to come back when you're done.
  Fie: ...You better. Once I find them all, I'll introduce you. Because of all my new family members, you're the most special to me.
  • Gaius:
  Gaius: Right now, each of us has something we must do for ourselves. Our wings ride with the wind, and the wind is guided by those wings... but please, never forget that I'm always there for you if you need me. As sure as the wind that protects us, I'll always be watching over you. And once you're ready to take flight, I will return and grant you my strength once again.
  Rean: Thanks, Gaius. That means a lot. And all this goes both ways, you got it? If anything happens in Nord, I'm always ready to rush by your side.

  • Unfortunately, this goes towards Harsher in Hindsight as in between Cold Steel II and Cold Steel III, Nord was under attack during the time when Gaius went back home, and fought there alongside his teacher Barkhorn, then gave Gaius his stigma and made him the newest 8th Dominion after he was dying. Unfortunately, none of Class VII, especially Rean knew about it.
• Machias and Jusis usually call each other by their last names thanks to their bickering all the time. So it was heartwarming that Machias showed great concern when he calls Jusis by his first name after Jusis insisted that he disembark from the plane to settle things with his father after what had happened at Ymir and Celdic; and tells him to calm down as he's not thinking right.
• On the final free day, there's a quest from Radio Trista to help them gather comments to start a new program. They ask you to interview various people in the town about what they think makes Trista great. The real heartwarming moment comes at the end though. Collect all the comments, then look on the desk at the radio station. There's a letter from "the Diva", giving her sincere thoughts on why she loves Trista, and wishing the radio staff the best of luck with their new show. This, combined with her apology to Emma after the final battle, shows that Vita really is nicer than she appears and might even be considering a Heel–Face Turn.
• In a way, the Final Boss actually deserves a mention. Loa Luciferia was nothing more than just a shadow trial, never meant to see the light of day. Vermillion Apocalypse and the Infernal Castle woke it up and even then, there was no purpose for it. It even explains that Class VII's victory over it is nothing more than just some Bragging Rights Reward compared to their victory against Loa Erebonius. Class VII's response is to give it one purpose: to kick its ass and be the witness to their graduation ceremony. Loa Luciferia's quote really says it all:
  Loa Luciferia: Thou art possessed of a fine spirit. Then let us commence the Shadow Trial. Now show me, children of man, how thou shalt fight and how thou shalt overcome.
• Valimar's conversation with Rean where he's naturally talking with him rather than just being a mechanical robot. He dispenses advice towards Rean when the latter starts comparing himself with Dreichels, who also piloted Valimar 250 years ago.
• The final scenes of the epilogue, after the defeat of the final boss, are simultaneously this and a Tearjerker. After the boss goes down, everyone comes to the collective realisation that their adventures are at an end. Millium comments about how much fun she had, only to feel a tear roll down her cheeks. She confusedly wonders what's wrong with her as Alisa comes over to comfort her. A few seconds later, the dam bursts and Millium breaks down into a sobbing wail and soon the rest of the class joins in as the finality of what has happened hits them. The scene just drives home how much Class VII has matured into True Companions through their tribulations together. The next scene has the class thanking Sara for her instruction, which prompts some waterworks from her as well, before they wave goodbye to Rean and head into Trista station. Rean stays long enough to hear the train depart, before turning around and heading back towards the academy with a smile on his face.
• Anton's sub plot of trying to find love has him falling in love at first sight with Sharon of all people. Of course he's rejected as usual, but Sharon encourages him to confess to someone who can love him by giving him a small kiss to the cheek. This only encourages Anton to find true love again.
• Defeat the final boss with any of the Phantasmal Mirrors equipped and after the subsequent cutscenes, the characters represented in those mirrors will have a couple of words to say.
  Vita: Teehee. That was quite the surprise, now, wasn't it? Still, this story has yet to reach its end. I'm sure we'll meet again someday.
  Altina: I appear to have been temporarily summoned into a virtual space of some kind. The summoning is now complete, but I would be happy to assist you again one day.
  Lloyd: Was all that a dream, or was it real? ...Well, guess it doesn't really matter. There's no obstacle that can't be overcome. Let's both be proof of that.
  Rixia: Life is full of surprises. I never imagined we would meet again this way. Still, while we may not be on the same side, I'm glad to have been able to help you.
  Crow: Man... Guess it's old Crow to the rescue, huh? I hope this means you can finally start moving forward. Well, see ya. Keep up the good work. It's not curtains for you just yet.
  • Altina's quote above eventually becomes a case of Heartwarming in Hindsight because in Cold Steel III, she's now a default playable character.
• The Father's Pocket Watch quest. It involves helping Alisa to seek out the materials to repair a precious pocket watch that her father gave to her mother. Irina gave the watch to Jackass with her usual cavalier attitude, saying that it would be no big deal if he wasn't able to fix it. During the process of repairing it, they discover that it functions like a music box, revealing a photo inside of both husband and wife on their wedding day. When the party returns it to Irina, she acts just as cool as usual as she leaves much to Alisa's frustration. Afterwards however, the scene cuts back to Irina taking note that Alisa failed to notice what happens when one turns the watch in reverse. Once she does, the music plays again as the watch opens up in reverse this time revealing a photo of Irina holding Alisa as a baby, captioned "Our Precious Treasure."

Trails of Cold Steel III

I cannot turn my back. Not on you. Nor on that strange, carefree girl who is more like me that anyone else!

• One of the very first scenes in the game shows just how much Character Development Patrick, the former Alpha Bitch of Cold Steel I has gone through. He and Rean are now good friends, and while there's still some teasing in their conversations it lacks the aggressive edge that used to be there.
• When the party^note Rean, Laura, Elliot, Fie, and Agate arrives at Hamel and sees Duvalie and Shirley at Loewe's grave with Kernvitter, all parties decided to pay their respects to Loewe and decide to fight somewhere else to honor him.
  • After the fight ends and all is said and done, everyone from the Thors Second Branch School arrives to pay their respects to Loewe and Hamel.
• Altina's emotional growth all through the game is guaranteed to warm players hearts as we see Altina's time in the Branch Campus led her to start develop emotions.
  • This reach its peak towards the end of the game where her final bonding event has her hugging Rean to see how it feels and thanking Rean for the Character Development he allowed her to gain.
  Altina: On the day of the entrance ceremony, you asked me my reason for being in Class VII. It has changed from 'Because I should' to 'Because I want to'. [...] Please, allow me to thank you. Because I believe this is something you, Millium, and everyone in Class VII gave to me.
  Rean: Haha... I don't even have the words to express how happy it makes me to hear that. I'm so proud of how much you've grown.
• Much like in Cold Steel II, the moments when Rean reunites with his fellow Class VII alumni is this. With some like Millium, Laura, and Alisa showing no hesitation in hugging him on the spot in front of his students.
  • Alisa's reunion in particular has her admitting that she wanted to say something special. But upon seeing Rean again for the first time in over a year, her mind went blank as she instead runs to hug him. Rean admits that he almost didn't recognize her thanks to how beautiful she had become, with Alisa noting how handsome he became in turn. She then says that he's her and Class VII's most important person before congratulating him on his graduation from Thors. Rean thanks her as both Tio and Rean's students note the highly intimate mood between both.
  • This is later topped as after three chapters worth of waiting, Chapter 4 finally gives us a complete reunion of the original Class VII complete with hugs and high fives.
• In a similar vein, any time returning characters from previous titles reunite with their old comrades is heartwarming to see, especially if you've had the chance to play through each of their respective games. From Agate and Tita's continuous Ship Tease moments to Tio teasing Randy about Mireille before the two share an enthusiastic high-five to Prince Olivert doing what he does best while in his "Olivier Lenheim" outfit from his first appearance, it's great to see them interact with each other, especially since.
• When Tita narrates about the time she had to say goodbye to Renne because she's going to Erebonia, it's revealed that Renne now attends Jenis Academy and that even with all of the degrees Renne has, she's been slowly adjusting to a normal life now.
• As the group heads back to Thors from Crossbell in Chapter 2, they are treated to a special sight from the train window: Lloyd, Arios, and KeA watching them from afar.
• The dance in Heimdallr. Alfin and Elise make their debut in high society. All friends are invited and they all are having a fun time. Rean danced with Elise and Alfin, and then is shown dancing with Alisa, Altina, Juna, and either Towa or Sharon. Other characters joined in the fun as well: Jusis danced with Millium, Machias danced with Emma, Elliot danced with Laura, Gaius danced with Fie, Kurt danced with Juna, Ash danced with Musee, Cedric danced with Alfin, and Lechter danced with Claire. Easily a Heartwarming Moment especially given how things go straight to hell after this.
  • Special mention goes to the fact that after shooting down his attempts before he even asks so many times, Rean allows Patrick to share a dance with Elise.
• Despite finding out that Rufus is not his older brother, nor are they even blood related, Jusis still respectfully calls him big brother. Something that brings a smile to Rufus.
• Once Siegfried regains his memories as Crow, he immediately stops fighting Alisa and jumps down to save Rean summoning Ordine to restrain Valimar and calling out for Rean to calm down.
• Despite him being very different now, the reason why Rean has his powers is because Osborne used his own heart to transplant it to Rean's and help him survive from having his heart impaled as a child.

Trails of Cold Steel IV

See you one day, somewhere.

This game should be renamed to Trails of Cold Steel: The Healing as we get scenes that many fans wished for a long time. For example:

• One for the people who played through Zero and Ao no Kiseki. In Cold Steel III, Lloyd was detained as a fugitive along with Arios and KeA. This time, however, he's back in action and has even managed to bring in Elie to support him and KeA in his quest to liberate Crossbell. Add in the fact that both Tio and Randy are confirmed to be returning from the previous game, and it's possible that like with the reunion of the old Class VII, we may see the reunion of the founding members of the Special Support Section.
  • There's also the fact that Crossbell is freed without bloodshed, and the SSS is no longer treated as fugitives and wanted criminals.
• It doesn't stop with Crossbell; Estelle, Joshua, and Renne will also be making their return since their last outing in Ao to reunite with Tita and Agate, and subsequent previews confirmed that Scherazard and Kloe will also be making an appearance. Excluding Olivert and Zin, that's six of the original eight party members from the first Trails game coming back together. It really feels like this game, despite its dark premise, is shaping up to be like one big homecoming reunion.
  • On another note, take a closer look and you'll see that Renne is officially going by the name 'Renne Bright', further solidifying the fact that she's now part of Estelle and Joshua's family.
  • Also, the reason why Renne's in Erebonia in the first place? It isn't because she's affiliated with the bracers or because she was asked to for her abilities; she just wants to make sure that her friend Tita is safe.
• The quote on Crow's profile on the Japanese website, which translates to: "I told you, right? I'm gonna return your interest."
• After finally discovering the whereabouts of Rean, all of Class VII (old and new) quickly head out to rescue him and Celine. Mowing down several waves of enemies, Juna and her classmates eventually come across an amnesiac Rean who is still quite unstable thanks to having lost control over his ogre power at the end of Cold Steel III. They then proceed to fight him, with everyone begging Rean to snap out of it. It isn't until their ARCUS II units end up glowing that it results in everyone linking up with one another and thus being able to reach out to Rean.
  • And by everyone, it also includes Towa, Alfin, Elise, Valimar, and Millium. All of them, together with Class VII encourage Rean that everyone is there to support him. They eventually succeed, as Rean finally remembers who he is and soon enough calms down. Once he does, he greets his students as always with everyone thankful that they got their instructor back. Altina even hugs Rean out of pure relief.
• He also ends up receiving another hug from Alisa not long afterwards. Aboard Gaius' ship, Rean ends up pondering on what to do next while washing his face. Suddenly, Alisa arrives and Rean assumes that she wants to use the room, but is quickly proven wrong when she proceeds to run and hugs him from behind. Clearly having wanted to do so for quite a while since his rescue and showing how worried Alisa was about Rean.
  • The following conversation they have is also one as well. Alisa makes a comment about how Rean's hair and eye color aren't their usual shade of black, and Rean confirms he can't change back and jokingly comments that it makes him look weird. Alisa then assures him otherwise, and then says that no matter what, he's still Class VII's most important person. She also states the following.
    Alisa: Especially for me, more than anyone else...
  • If players imported a romance with Alisa from Cold Steel III, Rean reacts to the above line by smiling and holding her by the shoulders as if motioning to hug or kiss her, only stopping when he notices the troubled look on Alisa's face and thus cutting the moment short.
• While growing up as sisters, Emma and Vita shared a bedroom. After Vita left Eryn Village and abandoned the Hexen Clan, Emma could have put her sister's things (or at least the now extraneous furniture) into storage so that she would have more space. But she didn't. Emma left all of her sister's things as she left them, so that if she ever came home, she'd have a place to stay. For ten years.
• At some point during the story the group arrives at the Pantagruel in order to attend a meeting. It's at this point that Estelle and Lloyd's groups both appear once more, leading to a series of reunions. Tita hugs Estelle and Renne, Tio hugs Elie and Kea, Lloyd and Randy share a high five. Kloe and Cassius show up and we can see how Estelle and her friends are overjoyed to see them. Then, finally, Rean meets Estelle, Joshua and Lloyd. With the first two he handshakes, but he feels afraid of doing the same with Lloyd due to what he did to Crossbell and the time when he sliced the Holy Beast and made the curse spread. Lloyd smiles and says they are all reunited there to stop it and the people who manipulated them to follow their plans. He recognizes that Rean wants to help and wishes to be friends with him, and the two finally handshake, with all their friends happy for them.
  • The later interactions aboard the Pantagruel also count. Joshua and Ash finally talk to each other and we learn Ash's true name and they share their past experiences. Besides that, we have all the past characters interacting with the Erebonia cast. Angelica even hugged Tita, Kea and Renne in pure joy. And, to end, Rean and Cassius have a talk and we finally see Yun Ka-Fai's face, through a flashback picture.
  • When Ouroboros attacks the Pantagruel, the characters split up into two teams. Lloyd and Rean end up in the same and Lloyd says he is glad that, after being on two different sides two years ago, they are finally working together. Both of them wish each other luck and share another brofist, similar to the one they shared in Cold Steel III.
• When the party confronts both Sharon and George. By the end of the battle, those two finally get their resolutions:
  • Irina tells Sharon that, since her contract was broken, she should be free to do whatever she wants. Sharon looks at Alisa and is proud of her getting so strong. Alisa replies by saying she would do anything to get her family back. Once Alberich leaves the place, Irina tells Sharon that her contract was not broken. It would be when Franz was back, not Alberich, so she still needs to work for them. Sharon tears up and says she will do that, while hugging Alisa, as her name in the subtitles changes from Kreuger (her code name as an assassin) back to Sharon.
  • George tries to kill himself, with the guilt of everything he did. Angelica stops him on time and asks where he is planning to go. George says that he doesn't deserve to live after all the horrible things he did, and Angelica says it's exactly because of this that he shouldn't do it. They need his brains to help them against Ishmelga. After this, Sara tells George that she is doing her best to atone for her sins as a jaeger. Crow and Towa are also listening to what is happening through videos, and Crow says that, while they don't expect forgiveness, they should atone, him specifically for his time as C. Towa yells at George to not run away from his friends, and after this, he finally gives up on taking his own life and teleports away, saying that he will contact them later as a Thors' student, and will help them when he can. After an entire game of him trying to deny his friendship with the others (to the point of saying his life as a student was almost like a dream), he can finally find peace with a better life.

• One optional event in Crossbell before the Arc en Ciel concert has Renne run into her mother and little brother. While she doesn't reveal who she really is to them, the fact that she's able to talk with her mother after spending half her life believing that her parents sold her to a brothel at the age of five^note Something she only learned wasn't true two years previously in Zero instead of instinctively drawing her scythe and splattering the woman all over the harbor shows that she's come a long way in healing from what happened to her at Paradise Lodge.
• The party, Roselia, Innes, Ennea, Campanella, Bleublanc, Vita, Joshua, and Renne all settle down and pay respects for the departed Arianrhod.
  • When Arianrhod dies, she gives a gift to Valimar. Said gift? The power to purify him a little and make him able to talk again. Both him and Millium. It's incredibly good to finally see Millium again, along with the fact that she can now talk with her friends any time she wants. Lianne Sandlot was truly a good and honorable person.
• The night before the final battle, Olivert proposes to Schera. The true ending reveals that she said yes, which culminates in some animation stills depicting the gathering of almost every major character from the previous games, including ones that didn't make the playable cut or show up otherwise for Cold Steel IV. After many years of fighting and things going wrong, both in-universe and out, it's satisfying to see everyone live out their happy ending for once.
  • Special mention goes to Rean. After three games of him being left with endings ranging from sad to bittersweet, he finally gets the satisfying conclusion he sorely deserved. Not only are all of his friends saved and alive, he finally has the chance to live his own life, no longer being weighed down by his ogre power or by Osborne. The Golden Ending of Cold Steel IV is a happy ending for many characters, but Rean is by and far the biggest winner. Those smiles really say it all.
  • This is true to the people of the Erebonia Empire as well, who can finally enjoy some peace after the war and chaos in the Cold Steel series. Olivier can finally enjoy his life without the threat of war that was present since his childhood; Agate, Joshua and Ash can finally move on from the Tragedy of Hamel; Crossbell and its citizens can finally enjoy peace, without two countries fighting to get its control; Lechter can finally act for himself and has hopes of fixing the bonds with everyone in the council from his school days, especially Kloe; Jusis can finally move on from all the problems his family caused and enjoy his time with his friends; Machias' family can move on from his cousin's death; Alisa can finally be happy with her family; Duvalie and her comrades can move on with their lives; Gaius doesn't have to worry about war threatening his homeland again; Emma can enjoy, at least a little, the time with her family together; Millium doesn't need to have conflict of loyalty again, neither Claire; Also, it's implied that several NPCs got together as well: Kenneth and Annabelle, Neithardt and Fiona, Makarov and Mary, Alan and Bridget, Vincent and Magarita.
• When Crow appears in the beginning of the game, he has full intention to die by the end of his battle with Rean, so the latter can get Ordine's power. All his friends see his transparent body and run to him. He asks for them to take care of Angelica and he knows Rean will be fine as long as he is with them. However, this time, Class VII yells at him so he can survive and do those things himself. Rean gets out of Valimar and won't have any of it again. He screams at Crow that he shouldn't give up, that Rean--I mean, Class VII still needs him, and that Crow should pay Rean his interest back already. After that, Rean hugs Crow and shares the energy of his Divine Knight with him. The scene ends with both of them waking up in a cabin on the island they were at, with the confirmation that, as long as Rean is sharing Valimar's energy with him, Crow won't disappear. All of them welcome him back to Class VII after all this time.
  • Just the fact that Rean was so desperate to not lose Crow again that he literally went against fate itself. A Rivalry is always destined to have one survivor, there is not supposed to be another option. But Rean needed Crow alive so badly that he created one. You can hear the incredulity in Crow's voice when he realizes he's not actually dying again. Kurt puts it quite well when he, after seeing Rean and Crow interact like once, says "Don't you know how much you mean to him?" because no, Crow clearly didn't. But now he does.
  • Crow's bonding event if you spend a ticket of the ferris wheel on him: He thanks Rean for everything for the past month, and says he wanted to support him as a senior would do, but he was the one who was saved instead. Rean replies by saying this is his line and that he feels like he can do anything as long as Crow is by his side. It's truly heartwarming, especially when you remember how their relationship was in the first two games and how Crow was forcing himself to act as an enemy.
  • Special mention goes to the True Ending, when he starts to disappear because the Great One's power is fading as well. When the Divine Knights share their energy with both Crow and Millium, Crow is confused at everyone staring at him, but notices his hair is back to being gray (instead of pure white, representing his status as dead) and he stops for a moment to hear his heartbeat. Crow, being Crow, doesn't show it, but we know he probably wants to cry tears of joy for being able to survive in the end. The same goes for Millium, who thought she would be gone after her role as the Sword of Demise was done.
  • Talking about Millium, there is also the scene with Class VII going to Franz' laboratory and Emma transferring her soul from the sword to a backup body. Once Millium is awake (although without her memories as a sword), Jusis and Altina are so overjoyed that both of them hug Millium, something that was embarrassing for them for a long time. Those 3 also got their happy ending. There are only three words the rest tell to Millium.
  Class VII: Welcome back, Millium.
• Rean's final conversation with Osborne, in which the both of them actually talk just like a son and father with the two of them finally calling the other "father" and "my child" respectively.
• Altina's bonding event. Rean noticed she was really worried over something and tries to talk to her, only for her to go alone to work in a specific mission. After some research, Rean had the bad news that Ymir is being attacked in order to bait him out. Once he is there, he can see that Altina was fighting against the soldiers all alone in order to protect his home. He activates his full Oni mode, defeats the soldiers and yells at them to not touch a hand on her. By the end of the event, Rean is on his knees, hugging Altina with all his strength and being thankful that she is alright. Altina apologies, and says she wanted to be his strenght at least once, with Rean replying that he is happy with her feelings but she shouldn't carry burdens alone and go to dangerous missions without any help, and that, if the same thing that happened to Millium happened to her, he doesn't know what he would do. She hugs him back and says she won't ever do it again, and that she must be strong to protect him.
  • Let's not forget about Lechter, that appears in the scene and gives an order, with even his powers activated, for the soldiers to retreat and don't attack a neutral area like Ymir ever again. We can see that Lechter truly cares about Rean and Altina, trying to help when he can without the curse manipulating his decisions.
• Alisa's second bonding event. After having an emotional breakup with Rean in her first event, Alisa's second event sees the two of them visiting the Reinford Group HQ in Roer so that she could investigate matters relating to the Black Workshop. At this point Sharon has formally returned to the group and matters with her mother have been settled once more, resulting in Alisa becoming much more stable than she was previously as seen with how much more cheerful she acts throughout the event. After taking a break, she then thanks Rean for everything he's done, telling him that his support for her is what helps give her the courage to face her problems. Hearing this, Rean brings up the breakup once more which causes Alisa to pause, but before she could say anything, he immediately says the following:

  Rean: I don't want to push you. And I'm not saying it's easy to make sense of all of this. But if you were able to take on a big entity like RF, it's not impossible to start again. Just look at your relationship with Sharon and your mother. So won't you at least let me share in that hope a little too. Because I'm sure there's still a "light" in our relationship somewhere.

  Alisa: Rean... (places her hand in his) Yeah. I wanna believe it too. Make me believe in that "light".

• Machias' bonding event. After the news that someone, from Osborne's faction, is giving hell to noble families (to the point of bankruptcy), Machias tries to investigate the case only to know the man that wanted to marry his cousin was the one responsible. He left Cayenne's faction and started to move against the nobles due to his guilty of letting the love of his life commit suicide. When the curse started to spread around the man, Machias says he used to be the same as him: hating nobles, their way of life, and besides anything else, hating himself for not being able to save his "sister". He says that staying with Class VII helped him into finding a new way of life and a new way to see things and them, as members of the government, should try to find a way to help the situation between nobles and commoners. The event ends with Machias' father inviting the man to work together with him, and the curse leaves his body. It's an incredible scene to show how far Machias came since the first game.
  • The bonding event ends with Machias giving his thanks to Rean, that was with him, and that he wouldn't be able to say all those things without his friends to help him (and yes, he says here that Jusis is also a friend!). Rean replies by saying they are the same in this regard and he hopes that, one day, he can understand his father (Osborne) as well.
• Despite losing Sharon and Arianrhod, in addition to Loewe, Joshua, Renne, the Grandmaster is actually pleased with them leaving her organization in good graces on their own terms. She did put up the clause about being willing to join and being willing to leave of their own terms.
  • Before you enter the dungeon to make the hidden sidequest in order to get the True Ending, you can hear a female voice saying "come". It's the same voice of the Grandmaster. We don't know why she did that, if it was to destroy the Sept-Terrions for good or not, but the fact that it's highly implied the Grandmaster of Ouroboros gave us the happy ending is pretty heartwarming, especially when said happy ending saved the lives of 3 people fighting against her.
  • When Mariabell asks how they're going to treat their newest Enforcer, the 1st Anguis declares that they'll leave it to the experts and not meddle in them. Clearly he and the other Anguis don't want another incident with Weissman and Joshua with Campanella agreeing to this.
• Class VII thanking Emma and the other witches for everything they did in order to help them. If the player remembers the scenes in the first two games, Emma always thought she was responsible for what happened by the end of Cold Steel I with Vita helping the alliance and all the secrets she kept from her classmates. By the fourth game, however, she was one of the most important characters in the story in terms of helping the characters with the secrets of their world and Rean, personally, with his ogre powers, and her friends wanted to make sure she knew how they appreciated all their help. After that, Emma holds Roselia's hands and gives her thanks for always guiding her clan, with Roselia being embarrassed in return.
• Renne meeting her biological family again, with being highly implied that her parents know who she is and are proud of the new life she found for herself.
• The last pages of the Black Records:

  Addendum: It should be noted that the contents of this book are the result of a phase engine that examines and records the flow of causality..

  The ruinous end of this tale, born from the clash between the Crimson Vessel and the Great Sable Hammer, is clear. However...

  There may exist horizons yet unseen. Shifts in the currents of causality, that cannot be predicted. A new outcome, triggered by the illogical ripples humanity creates.

  Having noted this small possibility, the role of this recording, which spans 1,206 years, starting from the first generation of the Arnor family, now comes to a close.

  May fortune favor humanity.

  Causality Recording Engine 03, AZOTH

• If you speak to the NPCs throughout the game, you will be able to follow their stories in the lead up of the World War but Patiry's and Anton's really take the cake.
  • Following the appearance of the Gral in Heimdallr, Kargo, one of Patiry's friends from the Ost District disappeared in the mayhem. Patiry is undeterred by the fact, and you see her at multiple points in the game across the Empire searching for him. Towards the end of Act III, you can find the two of them in St Ursula where Kargo has been mistaken for a noble's son and transferred there after he was wounded in Heimdallr.
  • In the same way, you first meet Anton in Titus Gate where he is arrested for being suspected of being a Liberlian Spy. He reveals the reason he is in the Empire during these times : he is searching for Sharon as the last letter she sent him was to forget about her. He then spend the rest of the game drifting across Erebonia searching for her while Rean don't have the heart to tell him the whole truth and just advise him to cut his losses and go back to Liberl. You later meet him in Mishelam where he is finally able to meet Sharon again, and while she retell him that he should forget about her, Anton counter by saying that even if she had a troubled past, he believe in her as she is someone who makes people smile. Sharon is touched by his words and they spend the remaining of the night talking about Anton's travels and Rean note that they are actually hitting off.
    • For an added heartwarming : the reason Anton was in Mishelam to begin with ? Olivert found about his research through the Bracer Guild network and invited his old drinking buddy for him to see her.
• The final copy of the Imperial Chronicle contains an editorial that delivers a stirring tribute to Rean himself.

  Finally, there is one last thing I'd like to impart to you. You have doubtless heard of the Ashen Chevalier's military exploits time and again. You may not have heard, however, of the countless other deeds of heroism he's performed—ones which have largely gone uncredited and unreported.

  I would like to impart to you that this man is no simple war hero. Those whose lives he's touched can attest that is he is much more—a light in these dark times. One who, with his classmates from Thors at his side, fights for a future for all of us.

  His actions prove the adage that where there's a will, there is always a way. He inspires all who meet him to put aside their differences and work toward a brighter tomorrow.

  It is with profound respect and gratitude that I take the opportunity to record his name on these pages once more, that he may be remembered not for his wartime deeds, but for his unshakable resolve, unending courage, and boundless kindness.

  His name is Rean Schwarzer.

  May the legend of this hero take its rightful place the annals of history.

• A small observation from the True Ending: Olivier was the only character (from the heroes' side) that was around for all the 3 arcs and interacted with all the protagonists. Then, when we see who was around for his wedding with Schera, we can see the characters from the previous arcs enjoying their time there. Olivier invited everyone he met during his travels.